Felix Collins

Felix Collins MHA, is a Canadian educator, lawyer and politician from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He formally served in the cabinets of Kathy Dunderdale and Danny Williams.^[1]

In February 2006, Collins was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for the District of Placentia—St. Mary’s in a by-election to replace Fabian Manning, and was re-elected in the 2007 and 2011 provincial elections.^[2][3] Collins served as Newfoundland and Labrador's Minister of Justice and Attorney General from 2009 to 2012. In October 2012, he became Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, he held this post till he left cabinet in October 2013.

Education

Collins graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a bachelor of arts degree in education in 1964 and a bachelor of arts degree in 1968. He completed is masters in education in 1972 at the University of Boston. In 1995, Collins completand a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Ottawa.^[4]

Career

Collins worked as a school principal, teacher, coordinator and a superintendent of education until retirement in 1992, at which time he entered law school. In April 1996, he was called to the Newfoundland Bar and is a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland, he practiced law in St. John’s until 2007.^[4]

Politics

Collins was Mayor of the Town of Placentia for sixteen years and a member of the Placentia Council for nineteen years. He was chairperson of the first Joint Councils of the Placentia area and served as Chairperson of the Placentia Area Recreation Commission. He was one of the founding directors of the Placentia Health Care Board, and served eight years as its vice-president. He served six years on the Board of Directors of Marine Atlantic.

In February 2006, Collins was elected to the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for the District of Placentia—St. Mary’s in a by-election, replacing Fabian Manning who had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus. Collins was re-elected in the 2007 provincial election.

Collins is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party and as Member of the House of Assembly (MHA) he served as Deputy Chair of Committees, Chair of the Elections and Privileges Committee, and a Member of the Public Accounts Committee. He has also served as Legislative Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and as Commissioner for the St. John’s Urban Region (Agricultural) Development Area Boundary Review. In a cabinet shuffle in October 2009, Premier Danny Williams appointed him to serve as Newfoundland and Labrador's Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

Collins remained Justice Minister and Attorney General under Premier Kathy Dunderdale until October 19, 2012, when he was demoted and became Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs.^[5] Following the 2013, provincial budget, which saw major spending cuts throughout government, it was announced that Collins' cabinet post would be eliminated. Effective June 1, 2013, Premier Dunderdale would take over the Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio, while an Office of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs would be created.^[6]

Election results

References

External links

• Felix Collins' PC Party biography

v t e Current members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Progressive Conservative Marshall Brazil F. Collins S. Collins Cornect Cross Crummell Dalley Davis Dinn Dunderdale Forsey French Granter Hedderson Hunter Hutchings Jackman Johnson Kent King Little Littlejohn McGrath O'Brien K. Parsons Peach Perry Pollard Russell Shea Sullivan Verge Wiseman Liberal Ball Bennett Dempster Edmunds Joyce Kirby Lane Mitchelmore Osborne A. Parsons Slade New Democrat Michael Murphy Rogers